Saudi Arabia: Blood Money Saves Indonesian Maid from Beheading

The life of an Indonesian maid sentenced to death by beheading in Saudi Arabia has been spared after the Indonesian government agreed to pay 2m Saudi Arabian riyals ( £324,570) blood money.

Satinah Binti Jumadi Ahmad, 41, was charged with the murder of her employer Nura al-Garib in Saudi Arabia, in 2007.

Ahmad killed her employer after al-Garib, who she claimed physically abused her and tried to smash her head into a wall. Ahmad then allegedly stole 37,970 riyals (£6,140) and fled the house.

The maid was due to be beheaded on 4 April.

Under Islamic sharia law followed in Saudi Arabia, the family of a victim can settle for ''blood money'' instead of an execution.

The Indonesian central government, therefore, had negotiated with al-Garib's family a sum of 7m riyals (£1,125,292) as "blood money" compensation.

Ahmad's story received considerable media attention and the campaign to raise the blood money in Indonesia involved politicians, celebrities and civil society organisations.

Hundreds of people have since made donations to spare the woman's life, but as the deadline approached, the Indonesian government pledged 2m riyals (£324,570) to reach the target requested by the victim's family.

Gatot Abdulah Mansyur, member of the Indonesian National Board of Placement and Protection of Migrant Workers (BNP2TKI), confirmed the diyat (blood money) for the release of migrant worker Satinah from execution in Saudi Arabia was paid in cash.

"For sure Satinah is already freed from punishment by beheading in Saudi Arabia because the diyat shortage for 2 million riyals has been transferred to the victim's family. However, the diyat can be accepted only on Sunday, because bank on Friday and Saturday in Saudi Arabia is closed," he told Antara News.

Coordinating minister for economic affairs, Hatta Rajasa said that attention was not only paid to Satinah, but also to other citizens risking their lives abroad, including Siti Zaenab from Bangkalan on Madura island, who was also facing death penalty in Saudi Arabia in connection with another murder case.

Indonesian maid Ruyati Binti Sapubi was beheaded in Saudi Arabia in June 2011, after confessing to killing her employer, saying he had abused her.

There are currently more than 40 Indonesian migrant workers on death row in Saudi Arabia, according to migrant worker advocacy group Indonesia Migrant Care.